Marianne Lloyd, Ph.D.

The embarrassing experience of waving to a "friend" at a store or on campus only to realize that it is a stranger has happened to just about everyone. My research is aimed at understanding the factors that make this sort of memory error more likely to happen and the ways that it can be avoided. To study these questions, I use a laboratory memory task in which participants study a list of items and then take a test. By changing the kind of information that is studied (often words versus pictures) and the types of tricky items on the test (easy or difficult), I am able to systematically study the way that memory works.

I have been teaching in the Department of Psychology at Seton Hall University since 2006. Prior to my arrival, I was a postdoctoral fellow at Temple University for one year after receiving my Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology in 2005. In addition to frequently teaching statistics in the department, I also teach the CORE 1101 Journey of Transformation course and supervise master's theses in our M.S. Experimental Psychology program. Three of these students have gone on to doctoral programs in cognitive psychology or related fields.

Since my promotion to associate professor, I have supplemented my basic laboratory research on memory with more applied work. For example, I am in the planning stages of a practical project on the relationship between memory and faith with a theologian and priest at Notre Dame University. I have given a faculty retreat at Seton Hall on imagination and memory and also spoken with servant leader scholars on authenticity and balance. I also frequently give lectures to students on how to use memory principles to enhance study and test performance. One of the many positives to studying memory is that it is applicable to most any situation and has the power to improve not only grades but also well-being.